Qatar Sets Record With World Cup Exit

For Qatar, whose hosting of the World Cup was more than a dozen years and $220 billion in the making, it's over already. The Qatar squad set a record Friday in being eliminated from the World Cup; it's the first time a host nation's team has been ousted after its first two games, Yahoo Sports reports. Qatar lost 3-1 to Senegal on Friday after dropping its opening match to Ecuador. And the Netherlands and Ecuador, who are in Qatar's group, tied Friday, giving them each four points. Senegal now has three, so even a victory by Qatar when it plays the Netherlands on Tuesday wouldn't be enough to move the host to the next round.

In the 92 years of the World Cup, only one other host had not made it past the group stage before, per the AP. But South Africa's team still had a much better showing in 2010, posting a victory and a draw. Qatar lacks the top-flight talent and experience of the other teams, and its coach had tried to temper fans' hopes. "If you expected us to go very far in this tournament, then it will be a disappointment," Felix Sánchez said. "Our goal was to be competitive." (More 2022 World Cup stories.)